In southern and part of southeastern Brazil, the harvest of pinhão (the seed of the Araucaria tree) during the season plays an important role in generating income for sharecroppers, independent collectors, and smallholder farmers.

For women in family farming, however, income opportunities are still generally limited to extremely low-paid activities within their own rural properties, while formal job opportunities remain rare and distant. Most of the time, these women end up working the land, caring for the household, and raising children. As a result, their financial independence is often tied to men, who usually take the lead in negotiating and selling the family’s production.

Introducing the sustainable management of a native species as a source of income and work for women is a way to balance development opportunities and strengthen their decision-making power over their own lives—while also highlighting women’s role in protecting and conserving biodiversity.

Currently, however, the management of the Araucaria—an endangered species—still happens in an extractive way, with poorly organized or informal value chains. With this in mind, the project is designed to encourage associativism and environmental awareness, ensuring that harvesting is carried out properly, while especially fostering the professionalization of rural women in the pinhão production chain.

Its core principle is to conserve the Araucaria through the use of its non-timber products, particularly the pinhão, creating alternative income opportunities for rural women.